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Why states should invest justice resources to address community needs [thehill.com]

 

Since 2009, more than half of the states have taken steps to slow or eliminate prison growth and control ballooning correctional costs. This reversal of more than 30 years of sustained growth occurred in the middle of a historic decline in crime rates, creating an impressive narrative of more public safety with fewer people in prison.

Some states have chosen to invest a portion of the savings from these reforms into programs or services that further contribute to public safety. Typically, this has taken the form of reinvestments directed toward strengthening probation, parole and, to a lesser degree, law enforcement. While that may seem like a sensible investment, it actually represents a missed opportunity. Here is why.

Despite upticks in the past couple of years, crime has largely been falling since the early 1990s and remains at historic lows. Researchers and practitioners have offered a number of explanations: aggressive policing, increased prosecutions, a strong economy and demographic shifts, just to name a few. Surely some of the decline is attributable to these factors. However, one factor that is seldom mentioned is the role that the communities impacted by crime actually play in developing their own public safety strategies.

[For more on this story by RYAN KING, go to http://thehill.com/opinion/cri...to-address-community]

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